Manually held, ratchet driven tools



April 2, 1968 J, T, vos ET AL 3,375,860

MANUALLY HELD, RATCHET DRIVEN TOOLS Filed July 15, 1966 AIM rad BY ATTORNEY United States Patent MANUALLY HELD, RATCHET DRIVEN TOOLS ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A manually held, ratchet driven tool in which a coil spring is retained within the bore of the body portion by the assembled ratchet and is adapted to resiliently engage the shank of the driven tool.

In the use of manually held, ratchet driven tools, the professional craftsman has little difficulty in maintaining the driven working member in proper working relationship with the work, but the ordinary person who only uses a tool of this type over weekends and holidays, does not have difliculty in maintaining this working relationship and more particularly when the bit is in the form of a screw driver and the kerf of the screw is mutilated or imperfect.

This invention, therefore, is more particularly designed for the use of the average workman.

The invention comprehends a novel construction and arrangement of a manually held, ratchet driven tool, wherein the body portion is rotatably mounted in a pressure member so that the pressure used in holding the tool to its work is exerted along the line of the longitudinal axis of the tool. The driven ratchet member is mounted in the forward end of the body portion and is provided with resilient means to maintain the bit or tool in assembled condition with it and at the same time permit the removal of the bit when it is desired to change the bit or use a bit or tool of a different type, such as for example, a drill, a reamer, or an abradent or polishing tool.

With the foregoing and other objects in View which will hereinafter clearly appear in the detailed description and the appended claims, the invention comprehends a novel manually held ratchet operated tool.

For the purpose of illustrating the invention, we have shown in the accompanying drawings a preferred embodiment of it which We have found in practice to give satisfactory and reliable results. It is, however, to be understood that the various instrumentalities of which the invention consists can be variously arranged and organized, and the invention is not limited except by the scope of the appended claims, to the exact arrangement and organization of these instrumentalities as herein set forth.

FIGURE 1 is to top plan view of a manually held, ratchet tool embodying my invention.

FIGURE 2 is a longitudinal section on line 22 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a section on line 33 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a section on line 4-4 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary side elevation of a Phillips head type of screw driver which may be used in the tool.

FIGURE '6 is a fragmentary side elevation of a twist drill which may be used in the tool.

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary side elevation of a reamer which may be used in the tool.

Similar numerals indicate corresponding parts.

Referring to the drawings:

The manually held, ratchet driven tool consists of a body portion 1, of any desired material, such as plastic as shown, which may be provided with fluted side walls 2 to provide a non-slip grip, said body portion being provided at one end with a freely rotatable pressure member 3, provided with an annular recess 4 and a bore 5 to receive fastening means 6 in the form of a headed pin 7 and washer .8, the lower end of said pin being threaded as at 9 to engage the body portion and retain the pressure member in freely rotatable, assembled condition, on the body portion. The opposite end of the body portion 1 is provided with a bore 10, extending a suitable distance into the body portion and adapted to receive in slidable engagement a resilient retaining means in the dorm of a coiled spring 11, said spring being retained within the bore by the end of a tubular extension 12 of a ratchet member 13, which may be of substantially conventional construction, and consists of the tubular extension 12, having a press fit in the bore of the body portion, or held therein in any desired or conventional manner to prevent its moving within the body portion, and having formed at one end a ratchet wheel 14, said ratchet wheel rotating in the bore of a grasping handle 15, the handle being provided with a pivot pin 16 to retain a pawl 17 in pivotal engagement thereon and adapted to engage the teeth of the ratchet in the desired direction, as best seen in FIGURE 4, said pawl being biased in either direction by a flat spring 18 held in the handle at 19. The handle may be provided with a covering 20 if desired. The tubular extension 12 of the ratchet is provided with a bore 21 of hexagonal formation to engage and interlock with the corresponding hexagonal shape of the shank 22 which would be provided for all of the different types of bits or tools used. The upper end of the shank 22 is chamfered as at 23 to permit the shank tofreely enter the coil spring 11. The shank is then pushed inwardly until it bottoms at the termination of the bore 10, as best seen in FIGURE 2. The coils of the spring then embrace the hexagonal sides of the shank in resilient frictional engagement therewith to prevent its unwanted removal, but permits the shank to be freely withdrawn when desired. The manually held, ratchet operated tool may be adapted to receive any desired types of bits of tools, such as for example, the conventional type of schew driver 25', seen in FIGURE 2, or a phillips head type of screw driver 26, shown in FIGURE 5, a twist drill 27, seen in FIGURE 6, or a reamer 28, seen in FIGURE 7.

In the conventional brace, the handle which operates the driving ratchet is olI-set and the pressure member is mounted on such handle. The result is that the pressure exerted to maintain the working tool in working relationship with the work is not exerted along the longitudinal axis of the body portion and the working too-l. Furthermore, the offset handle increases the width of the tool, so that in many cases it cannot be used.

Special attention is directed to the fact that the body portion is free to rotate relatively to the pressure member, which is adapted to be held in the palm of one hand, and also to the resilient means employed to retain the shank of the bit, or tool, in assembled condition with the driven ratchet member.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A manually held, ratchet actuated tool comprising a body portion, a pressure member adapted to be held in one hand and in which the rear end of the body portion is rotatably mounted, said pressure member and body portion being in longitudinal alignment, whereby the thrust exerted by the pressure member is directed along the longitudinal axis of the body portion, said body portion having a bore opening through its fiorward end, a ratchet wheel having a tubular extension fixed in the lower end of said bore, means to drive the ratchet wheel, said ratchet wheel having a non-circular opening to receive the shank of a working tool and a coil spring re- 3 tained Within the here by said tubuiar extension and 1,601,767 10/1926 Peterson. adapted to receive and retain in position the shank of 1,753,441 4/1930 Morahouse 145-75 said Working i001. 1,835,943 12/1931 Hess.

References GM 5 OTHELL M. SIMPSON, Primary Examiner. 82 829 s??? E T PATENTS 1 WI'IJLIAM FELDMAN, Examiner. 9 1 emlsh W 279- 02 X R. V. PARKER, 111., Assistant Examiner.

1,530,905 3/1925 Nance 14561.8 

